Final Summoning
by didsomeonesayventus
Summary: "Who do you choose, summoner?" A question repeated three times. A question that broke Three summoners and deterred three attempts to defeat Sin.


"Who do you choose, summoner?"

Ventus's grip on his staff went from tight and resolved to wavering. He heard Terra and Aqua behind him, equally confused as they shifted their stances and murmured confusion. After a moment, Ventus dared to ask, "Who? What do you mean who?"

Yunalesca- beautiful in a cold and meaningless manner and nothing more than pyreflies -gestured to his guardians, "You must choose the one whom I will change... To become the fayth of the Final Summoning."

Ven's eyes were so wide they almost bulged right out of his eyes. His blood- freezing as it was -roared into his ears. His staff shook in his hands, threatening to hit his head. In fact, he wished it would. This was a nightmare, all a nightmare, right? Only he needed to die to bring the Calm, right? There was no need for Terra or Aqua to follow him, right?!

All the while, Yunalesca calmly went on to explain how the Final Summoning embodied a strong bond, and if it proved strong enough it became the Final Aeon used to defeat Sin. Ventus found it harder and harder to focus as she continued on calmly and almost gleefully with nihilistic views- that death from the Final Summoning bringing release to him and his Final Aeon to end the pain before it had a chance to drown him in sorrow. And after all, previous High Summoners had made the choice, what made him any different?

When she was gone- apparently left to let Ven think over his decision -Ventus dropped his staff.

"Ven?" Terra asked, slowly walking up to him, "A-are you...?"

Aqua merely assumed a position of prayer, silent with a restrained look of grief.

Ventus stared at his staff. All this time, he expected it would be only him to die. All this time, leaving behind Spheres of their memories together. Terra reminiscing about his days with the Crusaders and their camaraderie while patting Ven on his back like he a one of them. Aqua gushing about Chocobos with loving detail as she ruffled the golden feathers, then laughing and saying the same about Ven's hair. The three of them watching the sunset by the shores of the Moonflow and daring to spend the night marveling at the pyreflies that danced across its waters. He'd expected and prepared himself for him being the only one to experience it all one last time. Not him and another.

"Ventus, pick me."

Ven whirled around, seeing Aqua stand straighter than she ever had. She was tall for a girl her age, and well suited for the Chocobos she rented out at the Mi'ihen Highroads. Her hands trembled as she grasped her necklace made from shells she found in Besaid. They were one of a trio, Ventus and Terra holding the other two, and made with love to commemorate Ventus becoming a summoner and their friendship. "Ventus it would be my greatest honor to be your Final Aeon."

It didn't sink in fast enough for Ventus, causing Terra to grab him and turn the boy to him, "Ven, I've fought Sin before, take me!" Terra had always had such an intense look in battle, but this seemed to be mixed in with pain, "I have experience! I've sworn my whole life to protect Spira and keep it safe no matter what it takes and I've sworn that I would keep you safe at the cost of my life-"

"And Spira needs your experience, Terra!" Aqua butted in, grabbing Ven's shoulder and pulling him to her, "You need to show the Crusaders of the future how to fight! You need to show them-"

"And if I've fought Sin before I'd make a far better Aeon than a Chocobo herder like you!" Terra spat back, jerking Ventus back to him.

"Your head is thicker than a fiend's hide!" Aqua snapped Ventus back.

"You're just jealous I'm a better choice!"

"You'd be a horrible Aeon with such jealousy!"

"Well at least Ventus would pick me to stick with him to the very end!"

"He'd pick ME!"

"ME!"

They both looked surprised when Ventus pulled away, grabbing his hair to almost a tearing point and yelling, "NO!"

He looked up, tears spilling over, "No I'm not choosing either of you!" The fear and shock that raised his voice vanished, leaving him to fall to his knees and whisper, "I'm not choosing anyone." His hands wrapped around his staff again, trembling and fumbling as they tried to find solace in the Macalania Timber. He sobbed, "Pease don't fight..."

Aqua watched Ventus for a moment before she looked back at Terra. She began praying again, but with a distant gaze as if she suddenly realized what she had been saying and doing, while Terra shrugged and rubbed the back of his head, "I-I'm sorry Ven... But... what else will we do? The Final Summ-"

"We don't do anything." Ventus stood again, "I'm... I..." He turned around and leaned on his staff, "I won't do the Final Summoning. I'm calling off the pilgrimage."

"But Ven-" Aqua gasped.

Terra was equally appalled, "Ventus we've gotten here already-"

"I'M CALLING OFF THE PILGRIMAGE!" Ventus yelled, slamming his staff against the ground.

After a moment. He bowed, "I'm sorry... but I can't sacrifice either of you, even for the sake of Spira. There will have to be another summoner to defeat Sin." He stood correcting himself, "There _will be_ another summoner to defeat Sin." Ventus turned around, sluggish from all of his energy sucked away from trying to keep himself from breaking and sore from Terra and Aqua treating him like a tug-of-war rope. His voice cracked and echoed in the lifeless chamber.

"I can't do it."

...

Kairi was hollow while Sora and Riku debated. She was sitting on top of what used to be Lord Zaon while they kept bouncing back arguments like "I'm stronger!" and "Kairi likes me more!" with both of them almost- but not quite -yelling in each other's faces. Really it was Sora who yelled, with Riku keeping himself restrained and collected while Sora's face grew redder and redder.

Kairi went over a debate of her own in her head. Riku was taller than Sora, and much more powerful. Not that Sora was a slouch- he played a mean game of Blitzball for the Kilika Beasts and had a decent set of muscle himself. Riku was a father figure. Sora was practically a brother. They both had their points, but when it came down to the greatest factors, they were equals. It was a matter of who was the lesser when it came to Kairi's opinion, and she couldn't choose.

If she chose Riku, then Sora could continue playing Blitzball without her and Riku, and he'd be the best there was wouldn't he? But maybe he wouldn't, too broken to play again after losing both of his friends. Picking up the ball only to dismally throw it around, swearing to never play the game again because he could never get himself focused enough. Perhaps never even being a guardian again.

But if she chose Sora, Riku would feel rejected for sure. He worked so hard, gone to all sorts of lengths, to keep them both safe only to lose them. There'd be other summoners to guard, yes, but who knew if he would ever recover from losing Sora and Kairi. Kairi knew Riku had found his true calling protecting others, but if she chose Sora, it would be like he didn't protect either of them.

Kairi closed her eyes and sighed. She absently tucked her hand into the sash at her waist and pulled out the pressed and wilted flower. It was from Kilika, and even after such a long journey it had the lingering scent of the sea and its own.

Sora had picked it, of course, to comfort her after a long day of near death encounters with fiends. Riku was already badly injured, and refused potions and healing spells, much to her distress, and claiming he'd be fine. And of course he was, just like Sora had said when he handed her the flower with a promise that Riku would be okay.

"Kairi," Riku knelt down to her, and she was snapped away from her thoughts as his hands closed around the dry, brittle, and browned plant in her hand, "Come on, you gotta choose someone."

He looked to Sora. He was stomping around, obviously mad. That's what he tended to do with his own emotions. It didn't matter how good he was counseling others, his own emotions were hard to control or console and often went unbridled and freely expressed. Riku swallowed a little, "Kairi, we've gotten this far. The three of us together. And so I vol-"

"It's gotta be me!" Sora stopped and slammed a fist into his other hand. Resolve burned in his eyes as he turned to Kairi, "Riku, you need to go on and protect other summoners!"

"You're a Blitzball player." Riku countered, "You're part of what gives people in Spira something to look forward to. How can you do that if you're-"

"So?" Sora snapped, "Just 'cuz I blitz doesn't mean I'm any less of a candidate. You can always find another person to play Blitzball in my place when the Calm comes." He turned away, putting his hands in his pockets and adding bitterly, "'Sides you can find a dozen of me. There's only one Kairi."

Kairi smiled, but it came out as more of a grieving grimace. It was always Sora who'd pick flowers for her along the roads and put them in her hair, Sora who would run ahead in the Thunder Plains to attract the lightning, Sora who would convince Riku to linger so Kairi could give her final goodbyes. Riku was silent, and did his job protecting Kairi well, but emotionally Sora was the best guardian a summoner could ask for.

Kairi stood. An image of Sora showing her a pond in the Macalania Woods flashed in her head, "I... I choose you, Sora."

Riku sighed and bowed his head, his voice quiet with restraint and formality- what he always defaulted to when he was disappointed, "As you wish, Lady Kairi."

Sora only smiled at her, then gently grabbed her hand, and knelt while pressing his lips to it in a gentle kiss, "Of course. I accept your choice, Kairi. I promise I'll be the best Aeon to ever lay its hands on Sin."

However, no matter how beautiful the Aeon was when the ritual completed itself, Kairi broke down into tears. She couldn't bear to use it to defeat Sin, and couldn't bear to lose her last connection to Sora. She couldn't continue. She didn't care about the power, or the fame (even the infamy for backing out), or anything anymore.

She went back home with Riku, unable to finish the pilgrimage fully, and lived out the rest of her days as a Kilika temple priestess who prayed day in and day out.

Day in and day out for her family to be whole again.

...

"So, Roxas, who's it gonna be?"

Roxas didn't know, to be honest. Axel's question didn't quite sink in for him with his mind still reeling from the revelations about the Final Aeon. Axel sighed and sat down, "Guess this'll be awhile." Shortly after he began spinning his blitzball around.

"Axel, I can't believe you're being so flippant about this!" Xion sighed. She fiddled with her helmet in her lap, "Roxas is facing a really tough decision, okay?"

"Famm ed'c hud mega Roxas ec kuhhy ryja yho aycean y desa ev E's hud lraano." Axel replied simply, rolling his spiraled green eyes. He did a trick with his ball. Letting it dance around in the air with ease.

Xion groaned a little more, muttering under her breath about how Roxas wanted to take an Al Bhed along on such a sacred journey. Sure, it was easy for him to avoid detection and prejudice since he preferred dyeing his hair red and his goggles kept his eyes concealed, but Xion still had apprehension about having Axel accompany them.

"... I don't know." Roxas said after a moment, "I don't know if I could pick either of you." He looked at Xion, "You gave up being a Warrior Monk for me," he gaze went to Axel, "And you listened to my request to come with me and left the Al Bhed Psyches even with the new Blitzball season about to start up."

"Dude, you're the only one who doesn't look at me funny." Axel chuckled, "I think I'd love to listen to anyone who treats me like that." He then said, "Well, you're a little annoying since you keep trying to steer me over to Yevon. Like that's gonna work."

Roxas laughed, "Well, even if you're doing all sorts of wrong things with Machina, I'm glad I met you, Axel. In fact, I'm surprised that you didn't disapprove as much."

"Ur E tecybbnuja, Roxas." Axel remarked, "E zicd lruca du mad oui tu yc oui fecrat. Oui'na so vneaht, yht yc fnuhk yc E pameaja oui yna, E ymcu pameaja oui cruimt lruca du tu fryd oui vaam ec nekrd." Axel then sighed and grabbed his ball, tucking it under his arm and dully adding, "Ruhacdmo ev oui lruuca du lyica dra Calm yht tavayd Sin, E cibbuca E lyh'd naymmo cdub oui."

Roxas bounced his staff between his hands and rocked on his heels, "Axel, you know I don't speak Al Bhed." After Axel only shook his head with a small- yet sad -chuckle, and refusing to divulge exactly what he'd said, Roxas went back to his inner reflections.

He'd resolved to defeat Sin, but now he realized that resolve had been breaking ever since the stepped onto the chilled and sacred land of Mount Gagazet. He'd become selfish, he realized. All he wanted was to quit being a summoner, to not die so young, to live with Axel and Xion somewhere peaceful and quiet. Priority one was not dying. Even if so many Yevon teachings said it was the pinnacle of a summoner to die and defeat Sin, Roxas couldn't. He suddenly realized the iron in his will was impure, and he was letting it rust and crumble.

Then again, there was Sin, and there was Calm needed, he reminded himself as his staff made another bouncing round. He closed his eyes. Who else was there to try? Who else would try and defeat Sin? To bring Calm to Spira?

Axel pawed his blitzball up into the air, once again rambling in Al Bhed, "E lyh'd pameaja E's kuehk ymuhk fedr ymm drec. Maddehk oui tea, maddehk sa un Xion tea, duu. Zicd vun y lryhla vun ajanouha amca du meja rybbemo."

"You're really annoying me with that, Axel." Xion growled, "Why can't you talk to us straight for once?!"

"E mea yht bid uh y cdnyekrd vyla du syga ed dnidr." Axel said, "I'm a coward who chooses to hide so no one really knows what I'm thinking. So no one can hurt me, yeah?"

"I wouldn't call you cowardly since you jumped off that Shoopuf to rescue me." Roxas said.

"You couldn't swim!" Axel sighed, "I have never met anyone in all of Spira who couldn't swim!"

"It's hard when you wear robes like this!" Roxas snapped back with an embarrassed and angry laugh.

Axel tossed the blitzball to him, "Cina, cina. Frydajan oui cyo."

Roxas caught it. He tossed it to Xion, who tossed it back to Axel, and soon the three giggled and laughed as their own little game surfaced. But after several passes, Roxas faltered as he slowly realized one of his friends was to die alongside him. The ball rolled to Xion's feet, and she picked it up with solemn realization that Roxas wasn't in a gaming mood anymore. Axel didn't ask for his ball back, feeling the same.

Xion hugged the blitzball and looked at a pyrefly that drifted by, "Roxas, it can be me." She shook her head, her quiet voice growing louder and more resolved, "No, it has to be me."

"Of course, since I'm not good enough because I'm Al Bhed." Axel said bitterly.

Roxas nodded, "There are a lot of exceptions I'll make for you, Axel, but this isn't one of them." He held his hand out to Xion, "Well, it's not gonna happen any faster if we just wait."

Xion stood without Roxas's aid, and both of them looked back to Axel with their hands against the doors. Axel smiled and gave them a thumbs up, "G-go make a killer Final Aeon."

They entered, hardly bothering to pause at what was one if the rare times Axel stuttered. Inside, as Xion became a fayth, Roxas felt himself crumbling. The rusted iron of his faith and loyalty was breaking away as it all sank in. To be honest, he didn't want to use Xion to make the Final Aeon. He didn't want to make the Final Aeon anymore, in fact. He wanted to run off with Axel and Xion-

He realized horribly that the beast in front of him was Xion. She was now his Final Aeon.

Something inside Roxas snapped, breaking completely.

Axel didn't question Roxas wanting to leave immediately, following right behind him and ready for anything as they exited the ruins of Zanarkand. Before they left completely, however, Axel gave one last rude gesture, "Ruba oui nacd eh bayla oui Al Bhed rydan! E'mm secc oui!"

Roxas looked at him, but surprisingly he didn't seem as insulted as Axel expected, "What was that?"

Axel wiped at his eyes and trudged forward, "A goodbye." He continued trying to wipe back tears as he added, "E'mm secc oui y fruma mud... Xion."

The trek back through Mount Gagazet was plagued with solitude and loneliness peppered with loss. Roxas used his Final Aeon probably more than what people expected him to, defaulting to the remanents of his friend. Yet Roxas seemed... Off. Something was gone in his eyes, and he hardly talked. If he did it was quiet and fragmented.

The Ronso greeted what was a lone and maddened summoner, who could only whisper and cry in agony about losing not only both of his guardians, but both of his closest friends.

* * *

GUESSS WHO FINALLY WATCHED FFX CUTSCENES. Yeah they were hella awkward to watch even if it was the HD remake but you know what it made me realize WOW I KNEW JACK SHIT ABOUT FFX. Sorry for the yells I'm just happy with this and excited because I finally get to post something~ (Something good-ish at that)

Fun fact Axel's Al Bhed is legit I found a English to Al Bhed translator on the Final Fantasy Wiki


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